


ad astra per aspera

by SycalWrites



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: BAMF Hermione Granger, BAMF Minerva McGonagall, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Ginny Weasley is a Good Friend, Hogwarts Inter-House Rivalries, M/M, Post-War, References to Addiction, Severus Snape Needs a Hug, frenemies to lovers, no intentional bashing, tags may be added as were moving along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:00:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24632719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SycalWrites/pseuds/SycalWrites
Summary: ad astra per aspera - through adversity to the stars.After a passed-up promotion in the ministry, Hermione spontaneously agrees to Headmistress McGonagall's offer to become a professor at Hogwarts. As if dealing with the reigniting house-rivalries, figuring out how to teach classes and going through a break-up wasn't enough, Hermione also starts seeing the ghost of her late professor, one Severus Snape.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 13





	ad astra per aspera

I - **a solis ortu usque ad occasum** \- _from sunrise to sunset_

An unrelenting knock on the windowpane woke Hermione way too early in the morning. Next to her, Ron grumbled into his pillow about how Caius had no sense of time. She loved that silly owl anyway. 

In a helpless gesture to remove the hair from her face, she willed herself to get up. The flat they shared may not have had much else to offer, but the views were unmatched. Through the opaque glass, the early lights were just illuminating the skyline above Diagon Alley in a pastel yellow. A shiver ran down Hermione’s spine as she opened the window and let the crisp morning into her bedroom. Caius screeched ungodlily, and she wondered how she deserved such a hell beast. As if he was proud of her mental note, the fuzzy owl threw his head against her hand in demand for pets. With a heartfelt sigh, she gave in and distracted her feathery friend to sneakily untie the message from his leg. 

_A Hogwarts seal_ – she noted. 

In between feeding Caius the strongly demanded treats she couldn’t help but wonder about the purpose of the letter. The last official one she had received from school was some three years back when she had been awarded a high honours diploma for her fantastic N.E.W.Ts. 

Unable to keep her curiosity in check, Hermione toed into the slippers next to her bed and sneaked to the living room. Absent-mindedly, her wand flicked towards the kettle in the kitchen across the room, where a mug for tea was waiting for her. She broke the seal on the letter, as she sank into the squeaking couch. Minerva was contacting her to follow up on a conversation they had had a bit more than a week ago. Hermione had been asked to fill one of the vacant teachers’ positions at Hogwarts – a cause she’d thought that she clearly stated she wasn’t interested in. There were a personal note and an official letter, so she scanned the note. _Just in case you change your mind_ , Minerva’s sophisticated penmanship read. Hermione placed the paper on the shabby coffee table in front of her. 

_Dear Miss Granger -_ read the official Hogwarts parchment.

_It is our pleasure to offer you a position as a member of the Hogwarts staff. The current vacant positions are transfiguration and potions, for both of which we would be delighted to consider you and for both of which you are highly recommended._

_The positions come with many benefits like complimentary accommodation and three meals a day, of course in addition to a monthly salary of 1500 galleons -_

Hermione swallowed hard at the generous pay. And that was only entry-level. This last year, Christmas bonus included, she had made a decent amount of 14’500 galleons give or take, and that was without food or rent. And Hogwarts paid - quick math- 18’000. For a moment, she allowed herself to indulge in the dream. A new sofa would be great, maybe one that didn't contest being sat on. And all the books she could afford. Her fingertips carefully caressed the spine of her latest lecture, a study on the effects of Basilisk bone on potions potency. They had switched to soup for three days straight for her to be able to afford it. But on the other hand, Hermione was good at her current job. Fantastic, actually. Working as the assistance of the head of finance of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, she was in charge of most of the division’s bookkeeping. Most, because technically her colleague was supposed to help her with it, but the numbers never ended up matching. Hence, she preferred doing the work by herself. Balancing all the accounts was very satisfying, and having an influence on the financial matters even more so. Yes, she worked long hours, and the payment was less than ideal, but her supervisor Mr Pittsburough had entrusted her that he was contemplating retirement in summer. Someone, of course, would have to fill his shoes, so Hermione grasped the nettle and struggles through the tedious late-night reports. 

Nodding to convince herself, she accioed a parchment from underneath the empty pumpkin juice bottle Ron had left there some days ago and started to pen an appropriate answer to the headmistress. Maybe she should ask Minerva for another afternoon tea too?

Somewhere towards the middle of her letter, thumping noises came from the bedroom and suddenly, her boyfriend woodshed into the living room, hair undone and shirt half-tucked. “ _Hermione_ !”, he whined and then accused her: _“You forgot to wake me up!”_

With dawning horror, Hermione spoke a tempus spell. 8:34. She was expected to be at work in ten minutes. Shoving Ron, who was leaning in for a good-morning kiss out of the way she dove back into the bedroom to grab clothes and then brush her teeth. Her hair ended up in a messy bun on top of her head, and there was no time for make-up anyway, which simplified her daily struggle to make a decision. The half-written letter ended up forgotten on the coffee table, as she stumbled into the ashy fireplace. 

The rest of her day pretty much followed the in the path of the morning. More paperwork was coming in then she could solve, even though she was focussed as much as she could and took only half of her lunchtime. As she was running to meet with Mr Pittsburough for the two o’clock catch up, that had been mysteriously moved to a room at the other side of the ministry, her short heel broke off. The breakage itself was fixed efficiently, a forceful Reparo did the job. Her pride, on the other hand, was a different matter, as the shoe mishap made her trip right into the arms of her colleague Daniel Creek. Not only did the git spend the rest of the afternoon gloating about being a hero but he also left five minutes before his shift ended, and without taking care of his daily duties. 

Hermione was just about to accio the third tea this afternoon, as Ron strode into the door. She offered him a weak smile. His robe was torn on the left side, and the Auror’s armour seemed nearly stripped from his bandaged arm. There was firey hair standing in every direction from his head. 

“ _Busy day, hmm?”_ she noted with a nod to his injury. Ron gave a satisfied, little grin.

“ _Dolohov the bloody bastard. We finally got him, that should be the last of the lot. Tried to smuggle a young werewolf to Belgium, too. You didn’t get the report yet?”_

Hermione could see his eyes trace over the stack of paper to her left and sighed. 

_“Ahh.”_ he pinched his lips in disapproval. _“I’ll see you at home then.”_

Hermione exhaled the breath she didn’t know she was holding. She didn’t have the power to argue about work again, and he didn’t seem in the mood to either. The six-pack of beer in his unhurt hand suggested that he hadn’t been expecting her to come home with him anyway and that Seamus and Harry were probably waiting for him. She leaned across the desk to give her boyfriend a quick peck of appreciation. 

Ron nodded and then walked towards the exit. He was already halfway through the door when he turned back. _“You know, you don’t need to work over hours every day. They can’t let you go for working the load they’re paying you for. It’s not worth the hassle.”_

Some days, comments like this made her blood boil. It wasn’t his place to decide, what was worth her hassle and what not. But on other days, Hermione was inclined to agree. Like today. Today those beers made her crave a night of fun with her friends. Today, there was nothing she would rather do than forget about work for a while. She grabbed the next paper from the stack anyway, and Ron pulled the door close behind himself. 

The next time she looked up was only once she had read, sorted and filled in every single pressing document. The sky in her tiny enchanted window was already nearing pitch black. The candle that she used to work was burned down more than three quarters, but she couldn’t help the swelling of pride, as she measured up the amount of work she had managed. A job well done. The tempus spell she spoke told her that it was only nine o’clock. She’d had worse nights before. Maybe she could even manage to fit a chapter of her book before bedtime. Elevated, she closed up behind her and made her way to the entry hall. 

Her no longer broken heels clicked across the polished floor. In the absence of the daytime crowd, the steps echoed from the plain, dark walls. She couldn’t help the feeling of dread as she crossed the empty space. The memory of the return of Lord Voldemort in year 4 was still vaguely in the back of her mind, and with the mention of Dolohov, she was more on edge than usual. A light flickered in the corner of her eye. She twirled around, wand held high and ready to attack but was faced with the bright red hair and the long gangly limbs of Percy Weasley. 

_“The pleasures of working for the ministry!”,_ he greeted her with a sarcastically grumble, and clearly not amused to still be at work at this time. Not knowing what to answer to that and still coming down from her adrenalin rush, Hermione just observed Percy, as he stepped into the fires and called out the name of a place she didn’t know. She followed swiftly, all of a sudden very anxious to get home.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for giving this fic a go. i'm very excited for it.


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